I acknowledge and appreciate the many other mothers I have had as guides and models in my life.

There are as many different kinds of mothers as there are women. Some are the quintessential cookie-baking types, others are better at creating business contacts. Some are nurturing, some need nurturing. Some mothers show us beautiful paths, others throw roadblocks in our way. Some mothers become our friends, some our children, and some our adversaries. Some mothers teach us by example, from some we learn to be better than their example. A mother doesn’t have to be the one who gave birth, she doesn’t even have to be the one who did the raising. Some mothers are our mother’s friends, our aunts, our guardians, or any number of other women who showed us the way. Though not all are ideal parents, all mothers give us something we need for our journey. That may be little more than a physical body, or it might be a font of love and support. All mothers plant seeds from which we can learn to become and become better. On this day of honouring mothers, let us remember to honour them all – the devoted, the difficult, the birthing, the adopting, the fostering, the sister-like, the embarrassing, the proud, and all of the others. Each has had a place in our lives and offered us opportunities for growth, beauty, and expanded potential.

FOR FUN: Television has shown the faces of many mothers over the decades – single, married, divorced, unwed, doctors, lawyers, stay-at-homes (previously known as housewives!), musicians and witches. Some have been a little nutty while others were too serious but we’ve all been drawn to one or more in our lifetime for one reason or another. Enjoy the photos and the memories they invite!